CENTRAL CITY — He went from one of the biggest breweries in the nation to one of the smallest.

For 32 years, Dave Thomas worked for Coors in quality assurance. Now he’s “brew master emeritus” at tiny Dostal Alley Casino and Pub in Central City.

Where Coors churns out millions of barrels of beer a year, Dostal is happy with 200 barrels. When he retired in July 2007, Thomas turned to his friend Buddy Schmaltz, Gilpin County commissioner, one-time mayor of Central City and, most important, a home brewer. “I’ve known Buddy since he started brewing (in 1997). I’d stop in and give him advice and maybe have a beer. But I told him, ‘I won’t just come in and help you brew and keg. I want free beer and pizza. That’s the ’emeritus’ part of the title.”

He doesn’t just make beer; he writes about it. Published in various beer magazines, he’s penned “Of Mines & Beer!” a history that tells the rollicking tale of Colorado’s mining towns where women were scarce and alcohol was plentiful 150 years ago. “Because of the stressful conditions, the miners drank a lot of beer and whiskey,” said Thomas. In return, the brewers and saloon owners were making buckets of money and investing in the mines.

Inspiration for the book came from visitors to Dostal Alley. “People would come in having seen (the remains) of the Jacob Mack Brewing building and ask about it and how many breweries there were in Central City. We’d guess five or seven. I started researching it, and it turned into a book,” said Thomas.

The book is wide-ranging, covering brewing history, how beer is made and even a side trip to the breweries of Europe, a fair piece from Gilpin County. “If I found it interesting, it went into the book.” But, Thomas promised, “There is a theme to it. No. 1, if it was beer- and mines-related, it went in.”

He scoured local newspaper files for stories and advertisements, of which there were plenty. The business was a virtual free-for-all, so getting the public’s attention was crucial. Saloons sometimes sold only one maker’s brews, and breweries came and went, following the latest bonanza from town to town. There were wild health claims in advertisements: “Good for invalids” and “Good for you.” To ensure good press, the brewers would occasionally gift newspaper editors with a keg, a practice I am all in favor of.

Thomas will sign copies of “Of Mines & Beer” at the first Great Central City Beer Festival, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Aug. 18 at Dostal Alley. The book also is available at Amazon .com.

It’s the water

Wynkoop Brewing, which teamed up with the Brown Palace on Rooftop Honey Saison made from honey produced by the hotel’s resident bees, is out with 1892 Artesian Lager.

Made with water drawn from the hotel’s 780-foot-deep artesian well, 1892 is in celebration of the Brown’s 120th anniversary. It was “fermented with a lager yeast at a slightly warmer temperature than modern-day lagers to mirror the early days of Colorado’s brewing history,” according to Marty Jones, Wynkoop’s conductor/idea man.

It’s available on tap only at the Wynkoop and the Ship Tavern in the Brown.

Beer notes

The Grand Hyatt Denver has jumped on the local beer wagon with its Pub 17 on Welton between 17th and 18th, featuring eight Colorado brews on tap and another 40 or so in bottles and cans. And if you must, there is Keystone Ice, served, appropriately, in a brown paper bag. The restaurant also emphasizes locally grown products. … New release: New Belgium is getting ready for fall with Red Hoptober, a dark ale at 6 percent ABV. It’s around until October. … ormer Coors Brewing field marketer Jeff Billingsley is the new marketing director for Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Ore. … Quotable: “There’s nothing like a nice orderly saloon at the end of the day to make a man feel kindly toward the world.” — Jack Guinn, “The Caperberry Bush.”